History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 153

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia [Pa.] J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1520

USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 153
USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire > Part 153

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Representation in the Legislature .- The Con- vention or Congress of the Province of New Hamp- shire, assembled at Exeter August 25, 1775, issued an order to the several towns and places in the province for taking a census or "ennmeration " of the people, classifying the inhabitants, so as to secure the neces- sary data whereon to base an adequate representation of them in the Legislature. This census revealed the fact that Sutton and Fishersfield together had only one hundred and thirty inhabitants, as sworn to by Benjamin Wadleigh, who was appointed by the Pro- vincial Congress to take the census. Towns not hav- ing enough of ratable polls to entitle them to a repre- sentative were, by the Legislature, formed into a class or representative district, contiguous towns, of course, forming the district. In this way Sutton and Fisli- ersfield were, in 1775, classed together, and in 1777 Warner, Fishersfield, Sutton and Andover.

This class remained nuchanged till 1785, when Andover was left out, and Sutton, Warner and Fish- crsfield constituted the class. In 1789, some dissatis- faction having arisen between Warner and the other towns, the class ceased altogether. From that time till 1793 Sutton and Fishersfield appear to have had no representation, as they so state in a petition to the Legislature in that year, they uniting with Bradford in asking to be classed together for that purpose.

Another petition of similar purport the same year includes New London in the request to be classed with the foregoing and is signed by the selectmen of the four towns. These selectmen, in behalf of their several towns, "humbly show that our situation is such that there is not a conveniency in being classed with any other towns for representation, we being

630

HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

about three hundred and sixteen ratable polls in number in the whole. Therefore, we pray that we may have liberty to send two Representatives to the General Court."

The General Court, however, sent an order, about the 1st of March, 1794, that New London and Sutton were classed together to send one representative and directing the selectmen to warn a meeting for that purpose. This class continued till 1803, when, by increase of population, each town was entitled to its own representative.

Ebenezer Kezar, of Perrystown, represented the classified towns in 1778; Matthew Harvey, of Sutton, represented the class of Warner, Sutton and Fishers- field in 1785; Zephaniah Clark, of Fishersfield, in 1786. With these three exceptions the class, while it continued, was represented by Warner men.

COPY OF A RETURN OF TOWN-MEETING IN 1796.

" At a legal meeting holden at the dwelling of Matthew Harvey, in Sutton, by the inhabitants of New London and Sutton, March 30, 1796, notified for the same purpose. Samuel Messer chosen moderator. The votes being called for a Representative to represent said towns in General Court for the present year, it appeared they were unanimously for

" DEAD MATTHEW HARVEY. " DAVID EATON, Clerk,

" Attest :

" LEVI HARVEY, ) Selectmen for " LEVI EVERETT, } New London."

Matthew Harvey was again elected in 1798. He died the following year.

From 1803 to 1810, including both years, Sutton was represented by Thomas Wadleigh and again in 1821-22, ten years in all; Jonathan Harvey was rep- resentative from 1811 to 1815, inclusive, and five years at a later period, also ten years in all ; Moses Hills, from 1816 to 1820, inclusive; Benjamin Wad- leigh, in 1823, '24, '25; Reuben Porter, in 1826, '27, '28; John Pressey, 1829-30.

Sutton has, down to the present time, been singu- larly fortunate in her choice of able, honorable and sagacious men for representatives, of whom lack of space alone prevents especial mention. They have, perhaps, served the town quite as effectually, while their period of service continued, as did those we have named, but have not been made so conspicuous in the history of the town by the repeated re-elections for many successive years, which were customary early in the century and which will probably never again be in vogue.

STATE SENATORS, RESIDENTS OF SUTTON WHEN ELECTED. Jonathan Harvey, in 1816, '17, '18, '19, 120, '21, '22 ; Asa Page in 1846 -47; Reuben Porter, 1834-35.

Mails .- The following is a list of subscribers to the New Hampshire Gazette, dated 1803:

"We, the subscribers, agree to take the New Hampshire Gazette for the term of one year at 12s. per annum, one quarter to be paid in advance. Papers to be left weekly at Mr. Ezra Flanders' store, in Warner :

"Daniel Page, Amos Pressey, Jonathan Harvey, Benjamin Evans, Henry Carleton, Joseph Greeley, Thomas Wadleigh, Thomas G. Wells, Jesse King, Ephraim Hildreth, Daniel Robinson, Philemon Hastings, Isaac Peaslee and Moses Hills, of Sutton ; Dow & Harvey, J. & D. Wood- bury and Thomas Pike, of New London ; Samuel Rogers, of Wendell."

It will be observed that the papers were to be left at Warner, by which it appears that the mail was not extended into Sutton at that early date.

Of the four post routes established by the Legisla- ture of New Hampshire in 1791, two lay through the western part of the State, but the nearest point of approach to Sutton on any route was Andover, nine miles distant. For the transmission of their letters, Sutton people depended much on chance conveyance, being thus compelled to trust to the honor and kind good-will of irresponsible persons. Most store-keepers kept an open rack in plain sight in their stores, in which letters could be deposited. Teamsters and travelers, calling to take a drink,-for all stores in those years had ardent spirit for sale,-would examine the direction on the letters in the rack, take such as were directed to any place through which or near which their route lay, and deliver as directed, or else at some other store near by. For those who did not wish to trust their mail matter to chance convey- ance, there remained, of course, tne alternative of sending it to Andover, or elsewhere on the route of the post-rider, there to await his coming ; for these carriers were empowered to collect as well as deliver. They accomplished their circuitous route to and from Concord every week, going out one way and return- ing another to accommodate as many towns as possible.

The first mail carrier in Sutton, of whom we have certain knowledge, was a man named Dimond, whose house and pottery, where he at one period manufac- tured brown earthen-ware, were situated on the War- ner road. He performed his journeys on horseback, carrying the mails in saddle-bags, and it was his custom on eutering a village to summon the people out to the road to receive their papers, by blowing a horn.

There was established at the South village a post- office previous io 1820, Enoch Bailey being the post- master. At that period one post-office and one weekly mail sufficed for the whole town. The mail at that time was brought by one Thomas Hacket, of Warner, a lame man, who used to ride in a gig. Af- terwards Smith Downing brought the mails.

Not long after 1825 a post-office was established at the North village. Benjamin B. French, afterwards so well known as editor, poet, politician, and in vari- ous high positions of public trust in Washington City, but then a young lawyer, having recently come to Sutton to open a law-office (the first in town), was appointed postmaster.

CHAPTER II. SUTTON-(Continued).

Religious History-School History-Military History.

First Baptist Church .- Not far from the year 1780, Rev. Samuel Ambrose, from Exeter, came to

631

SUTTON.

Sutton (then Perrystown), sent probably by the Warren Baptist Association, in response to a call they had re- ceived the year previous for missionaries to labor in this section of the State. He located in Sutton, be- coming the recipient of the lot of land which, by a stipulation of the charter, the town was to give to its first settled minister. He gathered a church here in 1782; but of its constituent members there is no record, nor of its formation or dissolution. It is only known that Matthew Harvey was its first deacon.

The labors of Elder Ambrose were not confined entirely to Sutton. He gathered a church in Henni- ker, which was considered a branch of the Sutton Church, not very numerous as to membership, but which existed for many years, and maintained public worship on the Sabbath, the members meeting where they could, in private houses and school-houses; bnt no records of its existence were kept. The church in Sutton certainly did a noble work, and became a highly favored body, being especially favored in the work it was permitted to do.

For many years it represented the almost entire religious sentiment of the town. It served as a bond to draw the scattered families together, and showed them that Sunday was something better than simply a day of rest,-that it was indeed the Sabbath of the Lord their God.

This organization, which passed away without leav- ing any written trace of its existence, was really the nursery of the first germs of spiritual life in the wilds of Perrystown. Peace and tender love be to its memory !

The people had not been able to provide themselves with a house of worship; they met in each other's houses in winter, and in warm weather sometimes in barns, often traveling many weary miles for the privilege of hearing "the preached word " and strengthening their faith in the better life to come. In all the record of their hard experience which has come down to us there is, perhaps, nothing more touching than these, their early efforts to find God in the wilderness.

Many of the Sunday meetings of the church were held at Elder Ambrose's own house, and not unfre- quently people used to come up from Warner on ox-sleds to attend them. Elder Thomas Baldwin, then of Canaan, but afterwards the widely-known Dr. Baldwin, of Boston, was a friend and associate of Elder Ambrose, and occasionally stayed all night at his house, where, with next to nothing between him and the heaven he aspired to, he, according to his own account, found delight in counting the stars through the chinks in the roof as he lay in bed. The house accommodations of the minister were at that early epoch no better than all others ; but still he was quite proud to call the attention of the Association to this church that he had gathered in the wilderness, and on one occasion he induced that body to hold their anuiversary at his own premises. The reli-

gious services were held in his barn. On this occa- sion there were present Elder Job Seamans, of New London, Elder Baldwin, Elder Otis Robinson and others, perhaps, quite as worthy, though less noted. On the night succeeding this meeting twenty-five persons who could not reach their homes spent the night in the elder's barn.

Near the close of the century Mr. Ambrose request- ed and received dismission from the town as its min- ister, though he continued a resident of Sutton till his death, in 1831, at the age of seventy-six years. He was considered sonnd in doctrine, and an able and energetic man in the field as well as the pulpit, labor- ing with his own hands on his farm as long as he lived.

After the dismissal of Mr. Ambrose, the church was at times supplied by preachers from abroad, “ itin- erants," as they were termed. Says Belknap, in his "History of New Hampshire,"-

"In some of the new towns, where the people were not able to support a minister, it was the custom for clergymen of the older towns to make itinerant excursions of several weeks to preach and baptize. Such itinerations have always beeu acceptable and served to keep up a sense of religion in the scattered families."

Of this class, probably, was Rev. Samuel Appleby, who is known to have labored here some time prior to the formation of the now existing church, probably not far from the year 1800. About the same date, also, Elder Rand and Elder Ledoyt, who located for a short time in Newport, are known to have made such " itinerations " to Sutton.

The present Calvinistic Baptist Church in Sutton was formed November 24, 1803, its constitu ent members being Joseph Greeley, Jonathan Eaton, Jonathan Roby, John Phelps, Gideon Wilkins, Reuben Gile, Elijah Eaton, James Taylor, Benjamin Fowler, Hep- sibah Gillingham, Lucy Davis, Jane Eaton, Sally Fowler, Sarah Parker, Judith Como, Amos Parker, Frederic Wilkins.

Benjamin Fowler was chosen deacon.

This church was the largest in the years 1823 and 1824, when the whole number was one hundred and nine. Since that time there has been a gradual de- crease in its membership, as the population of the town has diminished and other religious bodies have arisen.

The following is a list of some of the ministers of the Baptist Church : Nathan Champlin, commenced 1808; Pelatiah Chapin, 1811; William Taylor (native of Sutton), 1814; Reuel Lothrop, ordained 1816: Nathan Ames, 1820; Edward Mitchell, 1826 ; Stephen Pillsbury (native of Sutton), 1830; H. W. Strong, 1837; Henry Archibald, 1841-48; Charles Newhall, 1848; Valentine E. Bunker, 1857; Elder Coombs; Elder Eastman, 1873-80; Elder Libbey, present pas- tor.

Free-Will Baptists .- Organized in 1801, and have maintained their organization ever since, though for many years they did not increase rapidly. They are now a large, respectable and growing body.

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HISTORY OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Methodists are the least in number of any society in town, though they were in existence as a body since early in the present century.

Adventists .- There were some in town as early as 1841. They organized in 1847. Their number in- creased steadily for several years.

Spiritualists .- Organized in 1858, and for several years their increase drew largely from the Universal- ists.

Universalists .- The earliest attempt at association for the purpose of securing liberal preaching seems to have been made in 1817. At that time a few in- dividuals met and formed themselves into a society to be known as the "Universal Friendly Society." They drew up and sigued their names to a constitu- tion, the preamble of which declared their belief in the final salvation of all men. It was signed by Thomas Pike, John Harvey, Jr., Joseph Pike, Gordon Huntley, William Bean, Amos Pressey, James Brocklebank, James Brocklebank, Jr., and Eliphalet Gay. This association formed the nucleus around which gathered what afterwards became the Univer- salist Society and Church.

Since their existence as a society the Universalists have maintained a respectable rank, numerically and morally. Whittemore, Streeter, Ballou and A. A. Miner in earlier years preached here occasionally.

Ministerial Fund of the Town .- Sutton has a fund arising from the sale of lands, which, by charter, were reserved for support of the gospel, the interest of which amounts to sixty dollars a year. Each relig- ious body in town draws annually from this interest a sum proportionate to its numbers. The following table, made out for the year 1868, shows what was at that time the relative strength of each :

Free-Will Baptists drew $22.51

Calvinistic Baptiste drew

4.37

Universalists drew

14.72

Adventists drew

10.35

Spiritualists drew

4,83

Methodists drew

3.22

The Meeting-Houses .- By a provision of the charter the proprietors of Perrystown were bound to erect a meeting-house in town within a specified time, but this they never did. Their " Book of Rec- ords " shows that the subject was considered in their meetings several times, but the last mention of it is as follows: "Voted that building a meeting-house for the present is let alone."

A rude structure was erected not far from the brook in what is now the Mill village by some of the early inhabitants, which accommodated a few of them, but it was not till 1794 that, by concerted action and sub- scription of the people, two meeting-houses were built, one at the North village and one at the South four miles apart, being constructed alike and of the same size, forty by fifty feet, with porches at the ends giving admission to the galleries and other parts of the house, and the whole handsomely underpinned

with hewn stone. The gallery pillars and front of the gallery, the communion table, deacon's seat, the pulpit and also the mighty-looking, but deceitful "sounding-board" above it, depending, bell-shaped, from the ceiling, were painted a brilliant green. The pews were square, with the seats hung on hinges for convenience of standing during prayer-time. These meeting-houses were completed in about two years from the time of commencement.

Daniel Page framed the South Meeting-House; John Harvey the North.

It is said that the North Meeting-House was framed from timber that grew on the spot where the house stands. When this house was renewed in 1855 the frame was found to be as sound as when the house was first built. A belfry was added to this church and a bell hung therein, which was rung for the first time on the morning of the 4th of July, 1869.

As is well known, about the close of the last cen- tury much inconvenience was suffered on account of the scarcity of money, there being no banks and very little coin in circulation. Nearly all trade and busi- ness had to be conducted by barter. In this way were the two newly-built meeting-houses paid for, each subscriber to the fund bringing to the building committee a quantity of grain or corn equal in value to the amount of his subscription, and for which he had given his note of hand at the time of his sub- scribing. The following are copies of two of these notes :

"SUTTON, Sept. 22, 1794.

" Upon demand, for value received, I promise to pay twelve shillings to the Committee : in Rye at 4s. or Corn at 3s. per bushel ; or work at 38. if called for building a meeting-house at the lower end of Kesar's pond so called, as witness my hand, -

" THOMAS WALKER."

" For value received I promise to pay to the committee-Samuel Bean, Mathew Harvey and John King-The sum of Four Pounds lawful money to be paid in Neat Stock, or good merchantable Rye or Indian Corn. To be paid the first day of October, 1795.

"BENJAMIN WELLS, JR."

. Minister's Salary .- The following is a copy of an ancient paper, entitled "A Rate List," containing what the inhabitants agreed to give Rev. Mr. Ambrose for the year 1788. The fractional sums set against each man's name seem at first thought almost whim- sical ; but, without doubt, the amount of the subscrip- tion was to be paid in a specified number of pounds, gallons or bushels of farm produce, and that its esti- mated value was put upon the paper :

f. 8. d.

" Jacob Davis

0 12

Jona Davis . . 0 12

Ephraim Gile

0 19

Reuben Gile . 0

Daniel Messer . 1

Thomas Messer

Jacob Mastin . 0

Stephen Nelson 0

Robert Heath .

Samuel Bean 1

Bond Little . 1

Philip Nelson 1

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SUTTON.

£. 8. d.

Asa Nelson .

0 14 4

Samuel Peaslee . 0 10 0

Joseph Wadleighı

1 2

Thomas Wadleigh

2 4

Isaac Peaslea .

0 10 10

Hezekiah Parkar

8 0

Benjamin Wadleigh

1 1

10 "

Peculiar Use of the Word "Gift."-In town- meeting in 1804, "Voted to pay Benjamin Fowler Three Dollars, it being for procuring a Gift to preach the gospel." " Gift " meant a gifted brother or preacher.

Taxing the Proprietors' Lands to assist in paying for the Meeting-Houses .- An attempt to compel the owners of reserved rights of land to assist in this work was made by petition to the Legislature in 1795, to empower the town to assess a tax on the same for that purpose. This was probably the origin of "the Cent Tax," occasionally referred to in the town records of the early part of this century. The petition is inserted verbatim in this sketch, because it contains a good description of the " broken and mountainous" town of Sutton, and of the struggles of its early set- tlers, who can tell their own story better than any- one living, as we do now, nearly a century later,-

" To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives at Concord, con- vened January 1st, 1795 :

" Your petitioners humbly ahow, in hehalf of the town of Sutton, that thay labor under many great inconveniences by not having a Meeting- Housa in Sutton. Wa would heg leava to inform your Honors that the Proprietors of said town obligated themselves to build a Meeting-House in a certain time, which contract was never done in the least tittla. Aud, our town being seven miles and eighty rods in length, and but five miles in width, being mountainous and extremely broken, which causes the repair of our roada to ha a great cost ; And, the cautre of said town being ao iuconvenient, the land poor and broken for two milee each way-not fit for settlements-and no leading road by said center, so that a meeting- house there would be useless for a great part of the year. There are two main roada already laid out, leading through each end of the towo, which serve the country and the inhabitants of the town better, to build two meeting-housas-ona on each main road-which, wa think, will bet- ter accommodate the inhabitants. Upon this consideration wa have gona forward to build two small meeting-houses; and we think when they are completed they will raise a higher value on all the lands in said town. Therefore we beg leave to inform your honors that whereas there are some gentlemen that own large tracts of land in said town who never gave away any part of their lands for eettling, who ara non-residents, and the inhabitants have been making farine by their lands, and roada through their lande, raising the value of their interest by our industry, and have undergone great fatigues and distress in settling said towu, being poor. Therefore, we pray your honors would take into your wise and prudent consideration our case, and ampower said town to lay a tax upon all the non-improved lands of three penca per acre, to be laid out in building said Meeting-Housee, to be equally divided between tham, or any Sum you, in your wisdom, shall think propar. And your hum- ble petitionera, &c.

" THOMAS WADLEIGH, " MOSES HILLS, " ABA NELSON.

Selectman for Sutton."

Schools .- By charter, the proprietors of the town- ship of Perrystown were required to reserve one right (that is, one one hundred acre lot, and one one hun- dred and sixty acre lot) of land for the support of schools, but there was no stipulation made regarding the establishing of the same, and there is nothing on their book of records to show that they, as proprietors, ever made any effort to do so. Their burdens were

very great. Although their land had been granted to them on favorable terms, their outlay far exceeded their income, and many of the proprietors, weary of paying money where there was no prospect of return, suffered their proprietary rights to be sold for taxes, and, therefore, it is not probable that they taxed them- selves to maintain public schools.

The settlers, also, had many hardships to bear, many and heavy labors to perform, but having been, most of them, reared in the lower and longer-settled towns, where they had opportunity to acquire, at least, enough of education to know its value, they would not let their children grow up in ignorance.

The first instruction the children received was, with- out doubt, from their parents; but, in a few years, after the settlements commenced, individual effort and private subscription accomplished something in the way of establishing schools.

Very few school-houses were built before the close of the last century, schools being "kept" in apart- ments in private houses, the scholars' seats being simply boards resting on blocks of wood, without backs or desks. The first school in the South District was kept in a chamber in the house of Esquire Thomas Wadleigh, the teacher being Master Garvin, perhaps from Lempster, and the school being composed of all grades and ages from little children to young men fitting for college. Matthew Harvey, afterwards Judge Harvey and Governor of the State, attended that winter, 1798, he being then about sixteen years of age. The next winter the South School-house was in existence, and Master Garvin taught there. Dil- worth's Spelling-Book was used, "The Young Ladies' Accidence " for grammar, and the "Third Part" for reading ; the best readers read in Morse's Geography, and the teacher questioned them afterwards. One authority says,-

" I know something regarding the books used at that period and come years later, having often seen them in the old homea where I have visited. There was Webster'e Spelling-Book, Alexander's Grammar, Pike'a Arithmetic, Perry's Dictionary. For reading-booke prior to the daya of the English Reader were The American Preceptor, Morse'e Geography, and The Third Part, though of what or whom it bore that proportion I do not know."

The first school-master of whom we can glean any account, through either tradition or written record, was Robert Hogg, a Scotchman by birth. Whatever attracted him to Sutton is not known, but being here. and, finding in the untaught condition of the children of the settlers a favorable opening for the school-mas- ter, he turned his " wee bit of learning" to account for his and their profit. His stock of books consisted of a spelling-book, a Bible and an old catechism. Arithmetic he taught verbally, and demonstrated it by the use of the fingers, kernels of corn and a piece of chalk.

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History of Merrimack and Belknap counties, New Hampshire, Part 153

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Philadelphia [Pa.] J. W. Lewis & co. Number of Pages: 1520

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Philadelphia [Pa.] J. W. Lewis & co.
Number of Pages: 1520